The invention relates to an installation for carrying out experiments under the condition of weightlessness or microgravity by means of a drop capsule and a drop tube.
Under the condition of weightlessness or microgravity certain physical influences are very strongly weakened;others appear more clearly no longer being obscured by gravitational forces. The condition of weightlessness obtaing in free fall is characterized by the absence of gravity-induced convection, hydrostatic lift and sedimentation. This is very important in the evaluation of processes in fluid physics, material and life sciences and combustion processes.
A condition of weightlessness of long duration as is required for several experiments obtains only aboard a space ship. A disadvantage is that the cost of an experiment is very high and that the necessary continuity required for many experiments cannot be realized in this way. Therefore, first of all terrestrial installations are necessary enabling carrying out orientating experiments economically whose results may then be used for the final experiment aboard a space ship. In this way the number of guest flights can be reduced considerably. Also, science and industry require timelessness of access to an installation to prepare and carry out their experiments. The lead time for experiments aboard a space ship may be several years.
It is known to carry out experiments under the condition of weightlessness by means of a drop tower (Microgavity Science and technology. III/4, February 1991, pages 251,252). The tower has a height of approx. 146 m, a diameter of approx. 8.5 m, the drop tube proper being arranged concentrically therein and having a diameter of approx. 3.5 m. The tower serves to support the drop tube and to withstand the wind forces. A service room is located underneath the drop tube an extension of the tube underneath the room containing a device to catch the capsule at the end of its free fall. A disadvantage of the installation is that due to its great height and the extensive fundament its cost of erection is high increasing overproportionally with height. The erection time is long. Due to its great height the tower spire swings already rather much at relativeky low wind velocities. Computer controlled means are required to release the capsule at the right moment from the carriage to begin its free fall. A further disadvantage is that due to its great height the tower is perceived by many people as too dominant and a disturbing object in the landscape.
With a view to the furtherance of space flight and its industrial uses it is desirable that more installations for such experiments are available. However, it should be possible to build them at low cost. Also, the height of the installation is limited costwise,viz. the duration of the condition of weightlessness is accordingly short.